Srinagar, Oct 19: National Conference (NC) president Omar Abdullah has said the decision of his father Farooq Abdullah not to continue in office as the caretaker Chief Minister of J&K till October 21 was taken after studying the constitution in detail. ''We studied the constitution in detail and sought the opinion of legal experts and arrived at a decision that it will not be right for him constitutionally leave aside politically to continue in the office as the caretaker Chief Minister,'' Mr Abdullah told a TV channel in an interview last night.
He said if Dr Abdullah wanted to create a constitutional crisis he would have done so on October ten and not agreed to continue in the office till October 17.
The NC president said Dr Abdullah would have told governor Girish Chandra Saxena that it was a verdict against his party and refused to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister till October 17.

In his meeting with the governor on October 17 morning, Dr Abdullah informed him that he had no moral right to continue in the office after the expiry of the term of the ninth assembly midnight of that date which led to the imposition of governor's rule in the state.
The Governor had set October 17 as deadline for the government formation in the state.


Mr Abdullah said his party was talking to the people in this regard. ''We will discuss the issue when we receive formal communication from them.''


Bureau Report